Strawberry
Shortcake and her sweet friends are back for a second adventure on the DS, but
don’t expect the same type of game as before. Where Strawberry Shortcake
Strawberryland was aimed at the kindergarten crowd
and featured a collection of simple mini-games, Strawberry Shortcake
The Four Seasons is a Cake of a different flavor.
This is a straightforward platforming game, with a
few arcade style mini-games that are placed at the end of each season. Parents
that may expect the same type of easy gameplay will
be very surprised.
Each year
Strawberryland is host to a baking contest. This is
a very big deal, and everyone is always ready to participate. This year,
Strawberry and her friends decide to make a four season cake, by collecting
special ingredients across Strawberryland. So much for the
story.
Strawberry
Shortcake The Four Seasons Cake is much more
challenging than the first one and is really for preteen girls. In fact, the
later levels are difficult enough that some preteens may have a hard time
playing. Still, for the dedicated and experienced young girl gamer, there is a
lot to like about The Four Seasons.
For one, the
graphics are gorgeous! I was instantly amazed by the bright, vivid colors in the
levels. The characters and objects are very detailed, and so are the
environments. The game is a scrolling 2D platformer,
but the objects are spaced at different depths to give a 3D appearance. The
result is very attractive.
The game is
divided into four seasons, with eight main levels in each season and a bonus
level. There is also a mini-game at the end of each season, for a total of four.
The seasons are strictly platforming fare, with the
requisite jumping around to higher areas, manipulative puzzles to solve and
objects to collect. As in most platform games, Strawberry will spend much of her
time jumping up to the higher platforms in order to collect certain items, in
this case, berries. The controls are designed well and are for the most part
accurate.
The platforming
aspect of the game is the strongest point, and is interesting and varied. Early
on in the game, Strawberry will use a carnival-type ride to reach a higher area.
This ride resembles a flat part shaped like a plate, which is attached to a
long, pole-like handle. This plate will rotate around the pole in an up/down
circular motion like a ferris wheel. Strawberry will
have to run from side to side to get the plate to swing back and forth and
eventually rotate all the way around. This was pretty cool. Another fun feature
is the use of bubbles to make bouncing bubbles. Strawberry can blow bubbles to
encase specific items, which then can be jumped on to get to higher places.
In other areas,
Strawberry will need to figure out what actions to take to move items, in order
to use other items to get around. Sometimes she will use a type of “butt-stomp”
to pound down items in order to open up areas. At first, Strawberry can only
jump to get around, but after each mini-game at the end of each season, she will
gain a new powerup, which can be used in the rest of
the game. The last powerup, though, is only used in
certain sections. The first three are a paraglider,
a pogo stick and a set of swimming goggles.
While these
elements are common in most decent platformers and
are not usually noteworthy just for their inclusion, their inclusion is worth
noting in this type of game because these types of interesting
gameplay features are not typically found in a
children’s game. It is obvious that the designers put a good amount of effort
toward including diverse aspects to the general gameplay.
However, there
are a few negative features to these platforming
levels. While there are no enemies to fight, there are a lot of hazards that
have to be avoided. These hazardous obstacles are often difficult to avoid,
especially a type of bouncing ball. Strawberry only has three lives, and if she
dies, it is back to the beginning, or to the middle
if the mid checkpoint was reached. While the controls are good, Strawberry
doesn’t run very fast and it is hard to gauge the exact timing to run under the
ball without getting struck. This wouldn’t matter so much if there were
additional life points that could be collected. There aren’t.
Another problem
is the blind jumping that Strawberry must sometimes do. The R and L buttons can
be used to pan slightly up and down, but this doesn’t help see some of the
obstacles that are either high above or too low to see. Oftentimes there is a
hazard lurking in a lower level.
Besides the
straight platforming, there are also items that can
be manipulated, like poles that can be raised and lowered by stomping on them,
which will in turn raise and lower other poles. Discovering which poles to move
and how far to move them is part of the puzzle.
The mini-games
are all fun and well-designed, especially the snowmobile one. Strawberry will
ride a snowmobile down a slope, making jumps off of ramps and avoiding things
like snowballs and worms. This was pretty cool! However, all of the mini-games
are arcade; it would have been nice if there had been more variety in the types
of mini-games.
The weakest
part of the game is the collection feature. Strawberry will collect strawberries
in each level. These are the only things she actually collects. It would have
been more interesting to have different collectible items in each season,
especially given the fact that she is supposed to be collecting “special”
ingredients throughout the four seasons for the cake.
Strawberry
Shortcake The Four Seasons was a pleasurable
surprise. Too often these types of children’s games don’t get the detail or
attention from the designers they should, and are boring and uninteresting. The
Four Seasons Cake is both interesting and fun. However, it is also more
difficult than it should be, considering the age demographic of the potential
gamer. Having too hazardous hazards, coupled with only allowing three lives and
one mid-point save in each level, is hard on the average 8-year-old girl. This
game is best for girl gamers who are experienced players and who enjoy sticking
with a task.
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Gameplay: 8.0
This
game is a whole lot of fun. The platforming aspect
is well-designed and varied. However, there isn’t as much variety in the
mini-games as there could be, and having only three lives in each level tends to
be a little frustrating.
Graphics: 9.0
The
graphics are really good and add to the overall effect of the game.
Sound: 7.0
The
music is good enough.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
This
game is pretty challenging. However, gamers who are experienced and have good
reflexes will have no problems.
Concept: 7.0
The
essential game elements have all been done before, but the execution is above
average.
Overall: 8.0
It’s
great to see a kids’ game that is actually a good product and something that the
kids will enjoy playing. Too often they are not. The levels are all interesting,
and there is a good variety of puzzles and platforming
features in each one. However, the hazards are difficult to avoid, and there
aren’t enough save points or lives. A kids’ game should have either different
levels of difficulty in the options, more life points, or more save points.
Parents need to judge their children’s skill levels before purchasing this game.
But for the qualified gamer, this game is a sure bet.
